Unreachable
by pandi19
Summary: When DiNozzo breaks Rule # 3, Gibbs tragically discovers his agent is not the only one at fault.
1. Chapter 1

Unreachable  
>by Pandi19<br>Summary: When DiNozzo breaks Rule # 3, Gibbs tragically discovers his agent is not the only one at fault.  
>Warnings: Angst, violence, flashback (s)<br>Disclaimer: I only own this doozy of a storyline, all characters belong to the wonderful folks at CBS.

A/N: This is my NCIS story and I am absolutely thrilled to be sharing it with you! There are a lot of twists and turns ahead, but don't be afraid – this is NOT a death story. Thank you so much to my wonderful beta, Jen (WCUGirl). You are the best! Also, a special thank you to Sarah and Denise – you both helped me immensely!

**Chapter 1**

"_...ozzo. You know what to do after the beep." BEEP._

The beeping of the home answering machine ripped through Tony DiNozzo's body not unlike the bullets that had pierced his body six minutes before. His body jerked back into the floor as he became aware of his surrounding once more. He was still on the living room floor behind the couch. As he laid there, Tony tried to summon all of his waning strength to flip over and move toward the voice on the answering machine. His life depended on it.

"DiNozzo! Answer the phone! We've got a case," his boss, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs' voice floated into the room through the small black box with the red-flashing-light. "Need you back here. NOW!" Without warning, there was a click and he was gone.

"Boss," Tony breathed. But there was no one there to answer him.

Tony lay hopelessly gasping in pain. He had not managed to move an inch from his position flat on his back.

A new noise permeated his being; his cell phone began to vibrate on the couch's end table. No doubt Gibbs was now calling his cell. Suddenly the phone beeped signaling the caller had left a voice message. Another jolt of pain tore through the wounded man's body and DiNozzo felt himself drifting into the silence.

* * *

><p>"Kate! DiNozzo checked in yet?" Gibbs yelled across the bullpen.<p>

Kate Todd looked up from her PDA and over at her partner's empty desk. "No, I've tried his home phone and cell. Both rang then went to voicemail."

"He say anything about his plans tonight?"

"Oddly enough, no. I'm sure he's shacked up with a girl from Waverly that is drunk enough to not notice he's over thirty. His phone's probably out in the car or on silent."

Kate visibly gulped when she met Gibbs' icy stare.

"I'll try him again, " Kate muttered as she quickly dialed Tony DiNozzo's home line again.

* * *

><p><em>"H..y...Ton...You...after the beep." BEEP.<em>

Tony's eyes slammed open when her heard the answering machine click on again. He rolled his head back and forth trying to stay awake – _gotta stay focused_ – and let out a hoarse cry as his body spasmed in pain again.

_Flashback:_

_Tony took one look around the apartment trying to figure out if he missed anything._

_Pizza. Check._

_Gun in safe. Check._

_Remote. Check._

_Netflix DVD. Check._

_Mountain Dew. Check._

_Cellphone on vibrate. Check._

_Blinds closed. Check._

_Lights out. Check. _

_Side table lamp on. Check._

_Finding that he had all of the necessary tools for a classic night in, he eased himself onto the soft black leather couch. It had been a long week on top of an even longer month. Finally it was a night where he didn't have to be Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. He could just be Tony. _

_Just as he loaded the DVD into the player, his upstairs neighbor's stereo began blasting loud hip-hop music through the thin walls. Perfect. Now he knew why he didn't stay in on Friday nights. Tony had completely forgotten about his college jock neighbors whose love for ear-numbing explicit lyrics was not missed by anyone within two floors. _

_Maybe this wasn't the night for movies. Frustrated, he punched the eject button on the DVD player and slipped his movie back into the case. Tony went over and quickly scanned his N-64 games, quickly settling on the mindless Dr. Mario. Hoping the repetitive motions of the game with help him to unwind, he swiftly picked up the controller and plopped onto the couch once more. _

_He settled into a routine of beating a Dr. Mario level, taking a swig of Mountain Dew, eating half a piece of pizza , and taking another swig of soda - quickly losing himself in the moment. The upstairs jocks had settled into a routine as well, Tony guessed he'd heard Lil Jon's "Get Low" at least five times. The deafening bass was still vibrating the walls… Tony never heard the pounding on the door let alone the knock before. _

_SLAM! The door to Apartment 303 violently hit the wall behind it as two armed masked men busted through the entrance. _

_Tony's eyes shot to the open door in shock. _

"_Shit!" The short, stocky masked man yelled when he saw the apartment was occupied. _

"_You! Stand up! Hands up! Move to your right! Don't try anything!" the tall lanky accomplice shouted above the thumping bass as he forced his way deeper into the apartment. _

_The unarmed federal agent did exactly what the gangly giant said as he found himself on the business end of the gun. Unfortunately he did not move fast enough. The chubby equally armed assailant grabbed a fist full of Tony's Ohio State University sweatshirt and roughly shoved Tony aside so that he now stood slightly behind the right of the couch._

"_Look. I don't want any trouble," Tony's firm voice filtered through the bass to the men's ears. _

"_SHUT UP!" The tall intruder waved the gun in Tony's direction. _

_Tony clamped his lips together. The evening was going to hell in a hand basket. His weapon was across the room locked in the electronic safe located on the third shelf of his movie display case not coincidentally next to the movie Clue. There was no chance he would be able to cross the room safely to get his Sig. _

_Through the black knit ski caps Tony could see their eyes shifting right and left –recalculating their next move. Somehow DiNozzo was he did not fit into their equation. Without warning the stocky masked man quickly took aim at the agent and fired once hitting Tony high in the right shoulder. The shock and force of the bullet entering his body put the off-duty federal agent off balance. His left hand flew out to grip the back of the couch, but he was unable to catch it as he was forcefully launched backwards onto the floor. _

"_Argh!" Tony was unable to stay silent as he landed on his injured shoulder as he hit the floor, blood immediately staining the crème colored carpet. He lay stuttering for breath – he gasped harshly – the fall had knocked the wind out of his lungs. Pain overwhelmed his senses and he moaned. _

"_I said SHUT THE HELL UP!" the lanky man towered over the fallen man, his gun pointed directly at his target. _

_Fearing the worst, all Tony could do was close his eyes and focus on breathing. The bullet ripped into his stomach leaving a gaping wound in its wake and he screamed. No one except the unknown intruders heard him as the darkness spread across the sky outside Tony's window. _

_Now that their unexpected distraction was out of the way, the two men carried out their malicious task. Stepping over their victim, the lanky man got to work quickly unhooking the 42" big screen television and swiping nearly fifty classic movies on DVD, the job was nearly complete. While the injured man lie in an ever-growing deep crimson puddle, the thieves took every item they could stuff into the large pillow cases they had swiped from another apartment's master bedroom. This was the last stop in a night-long string of burglaries at the Cedar Creek Apartment Homes and they had hit the jackpot here – big time._

_Without a backwards glance as they left, the two men quietly closed the door with the busted doorknob, and loaded their spoils into a dark colored sedan and drove off into the night._

* * *

><p>Kate returned her phone to its cradle. It was not the first time Tony was late when the team was called in due to an emergency. However, he had never been this late. A couple minutes was one thing, but almost a quarter hour was cause for concern especially since no one had talked to him since leaving earlier that evening and now it seemed he was unreachable. Picking up the phone again she dialed the one person who might know DiNozzo's evening plans.<p>

"Forensic Specialist Extraordinaire Abby Sciuto speaking," the cheery yet sultry voice greeted the caller.

"Abby, it's Kate. Have you heard from Tony?" Kate winced as she asked her friend. This was a bad idea. Abby could freak out.

"What do you mean? He's not here?"

"Not yet and Gibbs is really living up to that second "b" right now. Tony isn't answering his phone. Did he say anything about his Friday night plans?"

"Umm…" Abby hesitated slightly in answering Kate, "He said he was going to stay in tonight. You know just veg – watch a movie, order pizza. He really didn't answer his home phone?" Abby was now twisting her left pigtail in her fingers and biting her lip.

"No, it rings until the answering machine picks up. I think Gibbs has tried him too."

"I'm sure his phone is on vibrate and his surround sound is on. Last week we watched Star Wars and it was so loud I actually thought we might be on the Millennium Falcon. He might not be able to hear the phone," Abby wracked her brain to come up with a reason why her best friend, Tony DiNozzo would not answer his phone. "I'll call him too, maybe he's having an intermission now, "with that the two friends and co-workers ended their conversation.

Abby immediately dialed Tony's cell phone. Hope turned to dread with each ring.

"Hey T, it's Abby. Are you there? We're at NCIS and you're not…I'm not sure why you're not. What's up? Where are you, Tony…" Abby's voice trailed off to almost a whisper as she struggled to control her rising emotions. Quickly hanging up she attempted to collect herself before she broke down.

"Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts. He's fine." With two deep breaths the scientist calmly dialed the phone once more. Letting the phone ring until the home answering machine picked up.

"_This is Tony DiNozzo. You know what to do after the beep." BEEP_

"Hey, Tony. Are you at home? Of course you're not, otherwise, you'd answer. It's not like I'm crazy Lindsay from last week or anything. Tony, listen to me. You need to call me. Come to work. We have a case. Or do both. If you're in trouble, call me or call Gibbs. Call us both. Just let me know you're okay. Okay, bye," She rambled on trying to convince herself that her friend was alright. As she ended the call the only thing she couldn't shake was the feeling something hinky was up.

* * *

><p>Tony floated along in and out of consciousness unable to grasp anything except the all consuming pain that had become his reality. An overwhelming silence had enveloped the now stripped-bare apartment, the hip-hop hooligans had ended their crunk party a few minutes after the two masked men left the complex and the building was quietly tucked in for the night.<p>

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh," the missing senior field agent moaned as another wave of pain assaulted his body.

DiNozzo's brain was on overload. His shoulder and gut were on fire. The blood from both wounds slowly seeped out of his body. The pain was everywhere. It clouded his sluggish thoughts and stole his hope. Tony distractedly went through the events that lead him to his position on the floor behind his comfy black couch. His easy-going evening had turned into one of the hardest nights of his life. The only thing he knew without a doubt was he had to get to a phone. He needed to call Gibbs. Gibbs could fix this, but the only way to get to help was to cause more pain.

Sucking in a shaky breath, he braced himself for his next actions. Slowly moving his heavy left arm closer to the black couch, a low moan escaped. After three attempts to reach under the couch the injured man's hand latched on to the frame of the couch. Part one complete. Now came the harder part, moving his body. Tony's weak grip shook violently with shock. Gingerly he levered him on to his side using his stiff legs to assist the movement. Reaching his destination, DiNozzo tried to calm his breathing to prevent the encroaching darkness from stealing his progress. However, simple hope was not enough to keep the bleeding man on his side as his hand slipped and with a strangled gasp he was flat on his back staring into the dimly lit living room at the speckled ceiling as the black ebbed at the edges of his vision.

This time he didn't even hear the phone ringing.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Edited 5/22 to redo dividers._


	2. Chapter 2

Unreachable  
>by Pandi19<p>

Warnings: Angst, suspense, flashback(s), oh…and a cliffhanger at the end. Oops. *evil grin*  
>Disclaimer: NCIS and any recognizable characters belong to DPB, SB, and CBS. I claim the storyline and "lovely" original characters.<p>

A/N: I am amazed by the response so far. Thank you all for your alerts, favorites, reviews, and messages. It blew me away.

**Chapter 2**

Gibbs shut his phone and slammed it down on his desk. He couldn't deal with this. His senior field agent was MIA and the Suarez cold case had just gotten a huge break. DiNozzo had missed three calls to both his mobile phone and landline. While it was a Friday evening of a holiday weekend, Tony still should have been reachable. If he had simply lost phone, Gibbs was prepared to rip him a new one.

Pulling out his cell again, he scrolled down the phonebook and hit send.

"Duck! Tony check in with you?" Gibbs doubted Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard would know the whereabouts of his agent, but stranger things had happened in the past.

"No, Jethro. Our esteemed young man has not returned?" Ducky's pleasant accent filtered through the line and was abruptly met with a dial tone.

Clamping the flip phone closed, Special Agent Gibbs looked up from his desk to see Detective Stephens from Metro.

"Got your sailor in lockup down stairs. We'll transfer our paperwork over to you. Thanks for taking him. He's a piece of work."

With that Gibbs made his way to interrogation to question the Petty Officer. His gut did not have a good feeling about this.

* * *

><p>Back in Apartment 303, things were not going well.<p>

Tony DiNozzo's eyes fluttered open and almost immediately rolled back as he struggled back to awareness against the pain.

"Huhhhhhhhhhhh…" He gritted his teeth as tried to shift his body. Finding his abused body too weak to move, he lay panting against the pain.

Although it was late May and the windows of the apartment were cracked slightly to allow a gentle breeze to filter through, Tony was freezing. Sadly, he knew it was shock and there was nothing he could do about it.

The shrill ring of the phone snapped the man back to attention. It was his lifeline and yet it was out of his grasp. Four rings later his greeting met the caller. He inwardly cringed at the beep. _Gibbs?_

"Hey DiNozzo, it's Stanley your super. Let me know if your apartment was broken into…some other residents have put calls in to the police to file reports. Don't know if you're home. I'll check your apartment tomorrow if I don't hear from you. Bye."

Tears welled up in Tony's eyes and made trails down the sides of face. His chest heaved up and down as he struggled not to cry knowing it would not change anything - it would only him hurt worse physically. Any determination that the bleeding man had possessed left his body in the salty water. No one would find him. There was no way he would survive until the next day. He wasn't even sure he could make it another hour.

* * *

><p>Gibbs stalked out of interrogation. He was getting played by Petty Officer Suarez and he knew it. Kate exited Observation and saw that her boss was even angrier now than he had been when he went into the room. The profiler in her saw that the anger was not only directed toward the case, the lying sailor, but toward her absent partner. No one had heard from Tony since the Fitzpatrick case had reopened when Petty Officer Suarez was brought in by DC Metro and handed over to NCIS.<p>

"Heard from DiNozzo?"

"Not yet, Gibbs. I left messages."

The agents made their way to the bullpen. Right as they passed the elevator the doors opened and Agent Timothy McGee from the Norfolk office stepped out.

"Agent McGee, whatcha doing here?"

"Um, Agent Gibbs, sir, j-j-just updating the systems main frame components. The cyber unit here was short-handed, so I came to help" McGee let out a nervous sigh.

Gibbs understood nothing of what McGee had say between updating and short-handed, but nodded with glazed eyes.

"Can you trace a phone number for me?" Gibbs asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Do you have a computer I can use? My laptop is down in cyber crimes."

The three agents turned into Gibbs' section of the bullpen.

"Use DiNozzo's computer," Gibbs' growled.

McGee gulped.

* * *

><p>Awareness came in waves and was not as it seemed. Between blinks time and location would change. One moment Very Special Agent DiNozzo was flat on his back staring up into the eggshell painted sky wondering how he ended up there. Suddenly Tony was seven again. Time was skewed. It shaped and morphed as memories flowed freely current and past memories swirled as if being stirred with an old wooden spoon.<p>

Tony awoke in hell.

His clothes were damp with sweat and soaked in blood. He lifted a cold clammy hand from where it was resting across his chest. Unable to raise his head more than a few inches, he brought his weighted hand up as far as he could.

Blood.

For a moment the man thought he might pass out again. He swallowed thickly against the bile that had risen up his constricted throat.

What happened?

His apartment?

A half blink later he was outside climbing his favorite tree in the vast green yard of the DiNozzo Estate. He hung from the branches like a monkey, taking unnecessary chances swinging haphazardly. His father had always told him not to climb that specific tree, but he ignored him. Father said lots of things. It did not mean he was correct every time, but Junior would never tell him that.

One hot summer day Tony was climbing from limb to limb in the forbidden tree. Thin branches were interspersed with thick black branches.

Ms. Mason, the housekeeper, gave a quick shout from the back porch for Anthony to come in for sandwiches and lemonade, "Anthony, you better not be in that tree."

The young brunette boy heard the kind, but stern woman, but ignored her. He was having fun. His parents were out of town on business; they would never find out about this. He hoped.

Ten minutes later the hired help came back out on to the porch. Her charge's lemonade was getting warm. "Anthony! Come inside now. You wouldn't want me to tell Mr. DiNozzo you're up in that half-dead oak tree!"

"Man, I'm going to get it if he finds out," the gangly boy softly murmured to himself.

"Anthony DiNozzo! One…two…"

Fearing that the housekeeper would act on her threat, Tony started to quickly climb down the big tree. Not paying attention to which branches he grabbed, he gripped a smaller, brittle, black limb. As he braced himself before jumping down to the ground, he placed more weight on the thin branch and it broke. Tony's balance was thrown off and he plunged the five feet to the grass below – head first. He yelled.

Slowly, he opened his eyes to the branches and blue sky. All of the air had been forced from his lungs, he tried to cry out, but there was nothing.

Seconds maybe minutes later Ms. Mason reached him having seen the small boy fall out of the treacherous tree.

"Tony! What hurts?"

_Father was right. _

Suddenly the memory shifted and Tony was back in the dimly lit apartment staring up into the candlelit sky.

"Wh-where?" Tony asked no one. He struggled to grasp memories. Was he on a case? It really looked like his apartment. He didn't make a habit of lying on the floor. Why was he here?

With the buzzing of his cell phone, it hit him. Again. The fiery agony ignited the memories of the evening.

There was no way Tony could escape.

* * *

><p>McGee swallowed hard as the phone number he was tracing was identified as one Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. "A-agent Gibbs, this is Agent DiNozzo's phone number."<p>

"Yeah. Where is he?" came the short answer.

Waiting a fraction of a second for the address to pop up, McGee felt queasy as he answered the legendary NCIS agent. "based on his file, he- he's at his apartment, Agent Gibbs…s-sir, Boss."

"Shit!" Gibbs slammed both hands down on his desk. He stood and walked toward the elevator. "Gear up. Going to interview Suarez's step-mom again. On the way, we'll pay a little visit to DiNozzo. See if he answers his door."

The elevator doors shut and Agent Todd sprang into action, grapping the keys and heading out the NCIS motor pool. She left the Norfolk NCIS agent standing at DiNozzo's desk. For once Timothy McGee was glad he was staying at headquarters. It was going to be a car ride from hell.

* * *

><p>Blood pounded in his ears. As awareness crept back Tony realized breathing had become more difficult as well. His chest felt heavier with each intake of air. The pain in his abdomen was overwhelming. He groaned in soft agony with each exhale of oxygen.<p>

The rational part of Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo's brain told him not to move. Any movement of his body would increase the rate at which he was slowly bleeding out onto the pristine shag carpet. But Tony couldn't listen to the rational part. He couldn't settle for dying because he did not try to help himself.

_DiNozzos' are not failures._

Latching onto the underside couch once more he slowly pulled his body up and sideways until he lay on his side panting for breath his eyes squeezed tightly shut in agony.

Tony's foggy mind was having a hard time deciphering his next move. Standing was not an option. Walking was out of the question. Crawling? Was there another way to get to the phone? What? What would Gibbs do? Well, Gibbs would not be in this situation. His thoughts took a nosedive. Maybe surviving was impossible.

Once again Tony's hold on the wooden frame of the heavy couch slipped. In an amazing feat gravity worked in his favor this time. Instead of falling backwards he fell onto his chest. It took everything he had not to lose consciousness.

* * *

><p>The trip to DiNozzo's apartment was a quiet one. Neither occupant spoke. By the time Gibbs whipped the company car into the parking lot for Tony's building, Kate could see the veins popping out of Gibbs neck as he clinched his teeth in anger as if he was attempting to contain his explosion until Tony answered his door. She had second thoughts about exiting the car. Tony did not need an audience for Mount Gibbs to erupt. Unfortunately Gibbs' icy glare had Kate quickly getting out of the car and almost jogging in her high heels up to the building door.<p>

Gibbs pounded up the three flights of stairs in twos. In an effort to keep up with the senior agent, Kate took her heels off and scrambled up the stairs behind him. Reaching DiNozzo's floor, Gibbs flung the door open in anger.

At the loud crashing of the door hitting the wall behind, the door to apartment 309 opened slowly until the chain across the door prevented further access. A white-haired petite woman stood in the crack.

"Oh, are you here about the break-ins? Somebody broke in my apartment and stole my tv. I've had that since 1974. The picture was still like the day my Herb brought it home from Sears," she asked in a hushed tone.

At her mention of robbery, Gibbs knew he had interpreted his gut wrong.

"No ma'am. We're from NCIS. One of our co-workers, Tony DiNozzo lives on this floor. Break-in?"

"Oh, yes, the nice young man at the end of the hall. Don't see him around too much, but he's always on the go…." she trailed off with a sad smile. "I went out to Golden Corral with the ladies from the Bunco club and came home to my door open. Everything was gone." A single tear trailed down her wrinkled face.

"Kate," it was all Gibbs needed to say. Immediately she began asking the woman questions and verifying that she had indeed called the police. With his agent helping the neighbor, the senior agent quickly made his way down the hall to apartment 303. The door handle dangled out of its socket. Stopping briefly to slip on latex gloves from his pocket, Leroy Jethro Gibbs unholstered his Sig and carefully opened the door. He crossed the threshold and was assaulted by the heavy copper smell. _Blood._ His eyes scanned the room as he cleared it for any assailants. Something on the floor caught his eye as he looked at the large comfy couch that he had sat on many times the past two years.

A foot.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Edited 5/22: to redo dividers._


	3. Chapter 3

Unreachable

by Pandi19

Warnings: Angst, suspense, & another cliffhanger. Don't say I didn't warn you. :) Also, reminder….in no way, shape or form is this a death story. NOT A DEATH STORY. Clear?

Disclaimer: NCIS is not mine. Nobody gave it to me for my birthday. Sad day. At least I can still play with them.

**Chapter 3**

Gibbs rushed toward the foot that was undoubtedly connected to a body. DiNozzo. There he was lying face down in the bloody shag carpet in his navy T-shirt and red plaid pajama pants.

"AGENT TODD!" The silver-haired lead agent yelled as loud as he could. He put a shaky hand to his fallen agent's throat willing there to be a heartbeat. There it was. Faint, but it was unmistakably beating.

Kate had never heard Gibbs' voice like that before. Desperate. She quickly excused herself from the elderly neighbor and ran down the hallway toward the shout. Entering into Tony's apparent she stopped dead in her tracks. Tony.

"Kate, help me turn him over. Call 911. Get on the horn. Needed them fifteen minutes ago," Words flew out of Gibbs' mouth.

Kate's knees hit the floor. Balancing her phone on her shoulder she started giving information to the 911 dispatcher and gently easing her hands under Tony's body as she and her near frantic boss turned her wounded partner from his stomach onto his back. She looked for any sign of consciousness, but found none. Tony's eyes were closed, his skin ashen; if she hadn't heard the shallow gasps for air she would have assumed they were too late.

As soon as DiNozzo was, yet again, flat on his back, Special Agent Caitlin Todd stood up and continued to yell into the phone relaying Tony's status as Gibbs gave it to her. Ending the call, Kate turned to her boss, "Should only be a few minutes. What do you want me to do?"

The leader was caught up in stopping the blood flow from the stomach wound. Blood continued seep up through his fingers as he kept a steady pressure on the ragged hole.

"Gibbs, how can I help Tony?" Kate asked again.

Blinking Gibbs realized his subordinate was asking him a question.

"Ambulance coming?" Seeing her nod, he continued, " Grab a cushion off the couch and put in under his legs. He's in shock. Then go down and direct them here. I gotta get this bleeding stopped."

Agent Todd turned from the nightmare and ran out the door, down the hall, and into the stairwell. There she stopped, tears pricked her eyes. "Damn it, DiNozzo."

Adrenaline and the severity of the situation spurred her down the three flights.

* * *

><p>Gibbs frantically ripped an old quilt off the back of the couch. Grimacing as he realized it must have come from his friend's childhood, he pressed the priceless material to the oozing gut wound. Red welled up through the quilt and Gibbs put all of his weight into his actions.<p>

Something broke his panicked focus - Tony's hand now weakly grasped his wrist. He looked down at it the bloody hand and quickly glanced at the man's face finding two slits of vibrant green struggling to focus on him.

"Tony? You with me?" Gibbs' hands pressed deeper into DiNozzo's abdomen while he tried to get a response from his Senior Field Agent.

A guttural moan escaped Tony's lips before he could attempt an answer, "Boss? Came?"

At that very moment the lead agent's heart broke. Had Tony given up on him because of his phone messages? Had DiNozzo heard him?

"Yeah, I'm here. Stay with me, okay? Need you to stay awake."

"Kay," the bleeding man managed a breathy reply before his eyes closed and his body went limp under the steady pressure of his boss' hands.

"Tony!"

* * *

><p>In what could have been seconds or several minutes, Gibbs attempted to stop his friend from hemorrhaging and rouse him from unconsciousness. Success was evaded for the wound still bled and Tony lay quietly beneath him. Help was taking too long. As he pressed harder and harder, he could feel his agent's stuttering breaths, slow and halting. There was no time. Even though he would never verbally admit it, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, hardcore former marine gunnery sergeant sniper, who had seen the worst battles in Kuwait and held his men as they died, was scared – terrified.<p>

He was so intently zoned in on his task, he never heard Kate and the EMTs enter. The lead agent physically jumped when a firm, but gentle hand gripped his shoulder. "Sir, I'm going to switch places with you. On my count, one….two….three." At the signal the emergency medical technician took over the hard pressure over the still bleeding gunshot wound. Another man came up on the other side of Gibbs and began applying pressure to the through and through shoulder wound.

Soon a third emergency responder entered with a backboard to load the injured man. Gibbs slowly stood, knees popping and joined Kate against the eggshell wall. Both agents stood in silent shock, weak-kneed, faces as pale as the wall they leaned against. The team of medically trained men worked quickly to move Special Agent Tony DiNozzo to the backboard. They first stabilized his neck, and once they moved him on to the board, began inserting IVs to replace fluid, and took blood pressure readings before they radioed into the emergency room and gave stats for their patient. Based on the speed and accuracy of the EMTs actions, Gibbs and Todd's fears were reinforced.

One responder walked over to Gibbs certain of the chain of command, "we're going to load him up and take him to Washington Hospital Center. They specialize in gunshot trauma and are by far the closest hospital. Do you know if he has insurance or who his next of kin is?"

"I'm his next of kin," Gibbs answered. Glancing around the chaotic apartment he tried to find Tony's wallet for his driver's license and insurance card. "Kate, can you check DiNozzo's bedroom, maybe his slacks from today. Find his wallet. It has all of his info."

Kate hurried to follow the instruction. She steeled herself as she entered Tony's master bedroom. She didn't know what to expect with his frat-boy stories. Inside she discovered a neat tidy room much like what she suspected the living room looked like before the burglary. Tony's grey slacks from the workday were laid out on the bed along with the suit jacket, button-down shirt, and conservative tie. She felt as though he was violating her partner. It was clear that while he bragged about his conquests he rarely brought them to his apartment. The apartment was meant for him – the real Tony DiNozzo. Reaching into the pant pocket she found the sleek black leather tri-fold wallet and rushed out of the bedroom to the waiting men.

"Got it!" Kate practically shoved the wallet to the paramedic.

The EMTs cleaned up as they hurriedly exited the apartment with their charge. Gibbs walked with them clutching Tony's hands as if to keep the man from walking toward the light.

Leaving the building the medical personnel broke up, going to the cab of the ambulance, staying with DiNozzo, and one turned to Gibbs, "will you be joining us for the ride, sir?"

Gibbs gave a single nod and looked over at the still visible shaken profiler, "I'm gonna go with Tony. Meet us at the hospital. Call Ducky, he'll tell Abby. I'll…I'll call the director when we get there."

While Gibbs stood outside the ambulance waiting for Tony to be loading onto the vehicle, he tried to collect himself. Inside he was all over the place. Afraid. Furious. Worried. Confused. He watched Kate pull the blue sedan out of the complex parking lot. Suddenly he felt alone. Gibbs looked back at the ambulance just in time to see the EMT signaling it was okay for him to get in.

The doors slammed shut.

* * *

><p>Special Agent Caitlin Todd fought the adrenaline coursing through her body as she tried to drive to the hospital. She turned onto the interstate and slowly accelerated. Finally feeling more in control of the company car and her body, she pulled her phone out and dialed Ducky's extension in autopsy.<p>

"Autopsy," Dr. Mallard answered the phone.

"Ducky! Tony's been shot. You have to get to the hospital. There was so much blood. I think he's going to die, Ducky!" Kate was nearly out of control again.

"Caitlin, you need to calm yourself, my dear," hearing the ambient sounds of the highway he continued. "Are you driving, Kate? You must find a place to pull over. We certainly do not want anything to happen you as well."

The profiler was nearly hyperventilating by the time she was able to pull the car over to the shoulder.

"Caitlin?" It had been several minutes since Ducky had heard anything except breathing from the field agent.

"Yeah?"

"My dear you need to take a deep breath. What happened? What hospital have they taken Anthony to? I assume Jethro rode with our young man. He's in capable hands. No doubt he'll get Anthony through," Ducky's heart felt as though a vice squeezed it, but Kate never heard that – only the calm, collective doctor came through the line.

"Tony got shot in his apartment. Paramedics are taking him to Washington Hospital Center."

For once Ducky was speechless. Injuries were expected in the line of duty, however, Tony was not on a case at his apartment. Other than the cold case that had been reopened that evening Gibbs' team had no open cases. The news that young Anthony had been shot in his own humble abode shocked Ducky cold and hard.

Finally gathering the words, he answered the distraught field agent, "I'm not my way, Caitlin."

* * *

><p>The back of the ambulance was a flurry of activity, Gibbs was having trouble focusing.<p>

"He's pulse is still weak and thready."

"Jamey, I've got decreased breath sounds on his right side," the blond haired EMT held the stethoscope to Tony's chest.

"Gonna have to insert a chest tube," the husky grey haired paramedic listened as well before rummaging through his kit to find the necessary tools to perform the procedure.

Gibbs watched as though it was an old movie rather than a scene unfolding right in front of him. Erratic beeping brought him back to attention.

"He's throwin' PVCs! Get out defibrillator! He's going to crash!" One of the men shouted. Gibbs didn't know which one as he stared at the heart monitor now clearly skipping beats.

Then all Gibbs heard was one shrill tone.

"CLEAR!"


	4. Chapter 4

Unreachable  
>by Pandi19<p>

Warnings: Angst, suspense, and a cliffhanger. :)  
>Disclaimer: I own nothing.<p>

A/N: Huge thank you for all of the reviews, alerts, and PMs. You guys make my day!

**Chapter Four**

"AGAIN."

"Clear."

The sound of the defibrillator pads contracting gripped Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs' heart as the paramedics struggled to restart DiNozzo's heart.

Another thirty compressions.

Gibbs' flinched as Tony's body slapped back down on the gurney following another shock.

_This wasn't happening._ The flat line on the monitor persisted.

Gibbs bent down to Tony's ear while the EMT began another round of compressions. "DiNozzo, get with the program," he quietly growled with hoarse emotion.

"300 Jules!" The voltage was up once again.

"CLEAR!" This time it was a desperate order.

It seemed as though everyone held their breath after DiNozzo was shocked again with the pads.

_Beep….Beep….Beep_

"He's back."

* * *

><p>When Gibbs was forbidden from going any further he settled into the small private waiting room he had been led to by the charge nurse. Barely two minutes passed of the man staring distantly at the floral wallpaper before Kate, Ducky, and Abby entered the claustrophobic room. Immediately Abby grabbed Gibbs into a fierce hug as if by clutching him it would keep Tony alive. Deep down Gibbs hoped it did. Finally he registered it enough that he should return the hug. He should comfort Abby. He should.<p>

"Jethro?" Ducky spoke.

"He's in with the doc, now. He crashed in the ambulance halfway here….." Gibbs mechanically gave the team all of the details he could recall while the other three sat in shock.

"I've already informed the director," Ducky broke the silence. Though they were all taken back by the evening's situation, simple protocols had to be followed. Since Kate had been so shaken up, the medical examiner notified Director Tom Morrow himself.

There came a gentle knock on the door and a middle-aged woman slowly opened the door. "Anthony DiNozzo's family? I have a L. Jethro Gibbs listed as the next of kin?"

"That's me," Gibbs answered tiredly.

"I have some paperwork for you to fill out and sign. Do you know if he has any allergies?" She handed over a clipboard and pen.

"No. No allergies," he shook his head.

"I'll be at the information desk when you finish," she lightly patted his arm.

Gibbs quickly jotted down all of the information he knew onto the appropriate lines. He proof-read making sure he didn't miss anything or make a mistake, then went to deliver his assignment.

For the first time since arriving Kate spoke looking directly at Abby. "Gibbs is Tony's next of kin?"

"Yeah, the Bossman took that over about two weeks after Tony started. Somebody from HR called Gibbs because DiNozzo conveniently left that space blank. Gibbs never said a word about it until Tony got hurt out in the field. A gigantic marine went psycho on Tony's ass and beat him unconscious. When he woke up Gibbs had authorized all of his treatment and tests. As awkward as it must have been waking up to your boss taking care of all your well-being, I don't think Tony's ever regretted that decision that Gibbs made. Tony hasn't had the best life….I think it was the beginning of the best thing that ever happened to DiNozzo. He trusts Gibbs with everything now."

Kate wasn't sure what to say. In law enforcement it was one thing to trust your partner with your life in the field, but it was completely different to let your partner make medical decisions that normally were left up to family. It was obvious that Gibbs cared for his people, however, this revelation blew Kate's mind. For the first time she fully realized how alone in the world her partner truly was and how much of a family NCIS was for him.

A few minutes passed and Agent Gibbs slipped quietly back into the room. As he heavily sat down in the chair, he turned to his old friend. "They should have someone out to talk to us soon." Ducky nodded understanding the unspoken question – _will you be there?_

Then there was an overwhelming silence that fell in the tiny room. Gibbs continued to stare fervently at an unknown point. Ducky's eyes focused at the door knowing it could open with news at anytime. Abby pulled her legs up in the chair and buried her tear-soaked face in her knees. Kate flipped through her digital datebook on her PDA debating when to call and cancel her Sunday brunch date. Twenty minutes passed with no significant movement from the four hurting people.

Suddenly the heavy door creaked open and an emergency room doctor peeked through the door.

"I'm looking for Mr. Gibbs," the doctor spoke.

"That's me, Agent Gibbs" Gibbs answered quickly.

"I have some information on Anthony DiNozzo if you come with me."

The doctor stepped fully into the room to hold the door open and usher Gibbs out. As Gibbs walked in front of Ducky, he made slight eye contact and motioned toward the door. The older medical examiner got up and followed the lead agent out of the cramped room.

"Agent Gibbs," the doctor nodded toward Gibbs then turned slightly to Ducky, "and…."

"I'm Doctor Donald Mallard. I work at NCIS and am a colleague of Anthony's," Ducky put out his hand to shake.

"Ducky's okay. He's better with medical terms," Gibbs added.

Nodding in acceptance the doctor continued, "I'm Dr. Wiley, I've been treating Mr. DiNozzo since he came in this evening. He has two GSWs; one at his shoulder," he pulled out a chart that had the outline of a man on it and indicated on the picture where the bullet had entered Tony's body, "it exited here, "he flipped the page over showing the backside of the paper man, "We've gotten the bleeding stopped. He'll need surgery to repair some muscle damage. However, the GSW to his abdomen," yet again the doctor indicated the location on the chart, "is more complicated." He met both men in the eye. "I'm not going to lie. He's lost a lot of blood and is being given a couple units. We've slowed the bleed, but are rushing him into the OR right now to remove the bullet and repair the damage. Mr. Gibbs has already signed the necessary paperwork when Mr. DiNozzo was brought in for surgery. I'll try to have a nurse out to get you updates periodically."

"Do you know how long he'll be in surgery?" Gibbs asked.

"Several hours. Given the extent of the damage to the abdominal cavity I'd say four to six hours is a good estimate,"

"Dr. Wiley, what would you say of Anthony's chances?" Dr. Mallard inquired knowing that percentiles were lost on his friend, but very important medically speaking.

"Without being in there….I'd say forty percent chance of survival. Could be more or less. You know, Doctor, any sort of complication can change that," Dr. Wiley attempted to answer the questions and cover his hind-end at the same time.

With mutual nods the thorough doctor left and the two men went back into the cramped room to share the news and to begin the waiting game.

* * *

><p>An hour into Tony's tedious surgery, a nurse lead them into a larger empty waiting room located on the surgical floor. The group spread apart slightly for comfort, but stayed close.<p>

Two more hours passed and no one came with news.

"Why haven't they come, Duck?" Gibbs spoke for the first time since parting ways with Dr. Wiley hours before.

"Ah, Jethro. You know these things take time. As soon as they have information on Anthony, you'll be the first to know. Then we'll move forward and get our boy on the right track," Ducky glanced over at the closed door and then met his friend's eyes. He could see the guilt in them.

The room settled back into silence. The closed caption scrolled up the television screen quietly detailing ZNN's breaking news. Gibbs tried to stay positive convincing himself that no news was good news, but his gut felt something. This time he knew it was not about Suarez – it was about Tony. It wasn't good.

"Family of Anthony DiNozzo?" a petite nurse wearing green scrubs inquired as she walking into the silent waiting room.

Immediately she was the center of attention, four pairs of eyes stared deep within her soul. As she took in the different faces, "Are you all related to Mr. DiNozzo?"

"I'm his next of kin," Gibbs informed the newcomer of his status as he slowly stood, blood pounding loudly in his ears.

Dr. Mallard was the next to speak of the quartet. His sad eyes spoke volumes. "Actually, we are Anthony's colleagues. The only real family he has. Please….how is our young man doing?"

"Drs. Sadowski and Wiley wanted me to update you on your friend's condition," she explained fully accepting the medical examiner's answer. Seeing that everyone was hanging on to her words, she continued, "Right now we're trying to stabilize Mr. DiNozzo following his surgery to remove the bullet that was lodged in his abdominal cavity. He's no longer hemorrhaging at either gunshot site, however his heartbeat & blood pressure are all over the place right now. As soon we have more information I'll be sure to give you all an update. You said that you were his family? If there's anyone else, it might be wise to call them and a minister. We're doing all we can to save your friend, but you should prepare for the worst."

The nurse watched the news sink in. Giving bad news never got easier, no matter what people say. It was obvious how much of an impact this patient had on the group. The sight before her was truly heartbreaking.

Everyone's reaction was different. Kate gasped covering her mouth with a shaky hand unable to contain her shock. Abby started sobbing having forgotten her 'positive thoughts.' Ducky closed his eyes and bowed his head; it was one time medicine was not an advantage to him. Gibbs' adrenaline stop hard with the news, one moment he was standing, the next his world went black.

_THUD._

Suddenly the eerie quiet waiting room burst into action. The surgical nurse and Dr. Mallard rushed toward the unconscious agent. Orderlies were called in with a gurney and Gibbs was sent down to emergency with Ducky following as fast as he could behind them.

The profiler and black-clad scientist stood in the waiting room unsure of what they should do.


	5. Chapter 5

Unreachable

by Pandi19

Warnings: The usual angsty-goodness….and some sweet bits thrown in.  
>Disclaimer: I own NCIS in no way, shape, or form…except DVDs.<p>

A/N: Thanks so much for all of the feedback! I appreciate everyone's patience with this story especially since real life hasn't allowed me to get it out to you in a timely manner. Hope you enjoy the latest installment! M

**Chapter Five**

Ducky entered the plain hospital room quietly and sat down in the chair next to the bed. Grabbing the bedside tray for his own use the he placed his styrofoam cup of weak tea and a couple travel magazines on the top, swiveling it closer to his chair. Now to wait.

About thirty minutes into Dr. Mallard's watch he felt a pair of eyes on him. Lifting his eyes from the article on the Swiss Alps he saw two bright blue eyes staring back.

"Ah, Jethro. How are you feeling? You took quite a fall in the waiting room."

"What happened? How's DiNozzo?" Gibbs wasn't sure if he remembered anything after the ambulance ride with DiNozzo. He was so groggy.

"When the nurse came to update us following Anthony's surgery, you passed out because you were in shock. I apologize for not seeing it sooner. It must have been quite traumatizing finding your second in command so gravely injured in his apartment. Speaking of Tony, he is upstairs. Director Morrow is with him."

"Why do I get the impression you're not telling me everything, Duck?" Gibbs fixed his friend with as hard of a stare as he could manage at the moment.

"Anthony has suffered very serious injuries, Jethro. I don't need to tell you that. His medical team is working quite hard," Ducky briefly avoided making eye contact.

"But…"

"But, it doesn't look good. The amount of blood that he has lost on top of the severe trauma inflicted has left him little room for success. They're doing everything they can to make him comfortable," his accent softened the blow of the words but Gibbs felt the verbal punch deep within.

"Comfortable? You giving on him too, Duck?" Gibbs quietly exploded.

"Absolutely not. If anyone can beat the odds it is our Anthony, but we need to be prepared." Ducky attempted to sound hopeful, but was failing miserably. _Be prepared. How can anyone be prepared for a tragedy so unexpected?_

"Like hell. I need up there, so he doesn't do anything stupid like die," Gibbs argued.

"I understand that, however, I am not so sure your doctors will think the same thing," the medical examiner tried to reason.

The conversation concluded, but neither man was finished – both too stubborn to budge on the issue. There was a quick knock at the door and young doctor entered with an older nurse.

"Ah, Mr. Gibbs, I see that you are now awake. I'm Dr. Reynolds. This is your nurse Maggie." The doctor quickly shook Gibbs' hand and the nurse waved, but did not shake. "How are you feeling? Headache, sensitivity to light, lightheadedness, fatigue…."

"Not lightheaded," was the only answer Gibbs offered as he flinched in reaction to the piercing light being shined in his eyes.

"Ah," said Dr. Reynolds. Gibbs could hear quick scribbling as the nurse jotted down observations.

"When can I leave? I need to get upstairs." Gibbs cut right to the chase.

"Well, Mr. Gibbs…" the good doctor anted up.

"Agent Gibbs," he corrected.

"Well, Agent Gibbs, you passed out due to shock about three and a half hours ago. Shock is a very serious thing. Given the symptoms that you are undoubtedly still suffering from, there is no way that I'm greenlighting you to leave this hospital," Dr. Reynolds explained.

"Oh, I don't need your approval. I can sign myself out," Gibbs huffed.

"Agent Gibbs, I would not advise that." Dr. Reynolds crossed his arms and widened his stance.

The discussion had progressed to almost shouting. Dr. Mallard had remained silent, however, with no end in sight and no clear winner, he decided to offer a compromise.

"Gentlemen, might Agent Gibbs be able to be observed and receive the necessary medical care while sitting with our injured colleague in ICU? I assure you that I will make sure that he gets the care he needs. The situation upstairs is quiet grave, Doctor."

Dr. Reynolds took a moment to collect his thoughts. His patient's well being was his responsibility, but he didn't want to add to the man's obvious guilt. He'd seen what emotional baggage could do to a person. True to the Hippocratic Oath he knew he could not forbid Gibbs to go to his friend. It could completely destroy his patient.

"Agent Gibbs, I will sign off on allowing you to visit your colleague, but it is imperative that you get the treatment and observation you need as well. After visiting hours are over or if any complication presents itself beforehand, I want you back down here. We need to observe you for the next twenty-four to thirty-six hours to just be on the safe side," he switched his focus slighty. "Dr. Mallard, I'm depending on you to help enforce this," the doctor's lips pursed in determination.

"Of course, Dr. Reynolds…I fully intend to do just that," Ducky nodded slightly in agreement.

"Oh, and Agent Gibbs until I sign your release papers, is it hospital policy that you use a wheelchair. You may stand to use the bathroom or transfer to a chair. Understand?" Dr. Reynolds reaffirmed his authority.

"Yeah. Get me the damn chair," Gibbs grumbled.

"Agent Gibbs, don't do anything to jeopardize your own health for your friend," the doctor's eyes were sincere. "Let me go tell the nurses what my instructions to you were and let them know what is going on and they'll get you ready for transport up to ICU."

As the doctor left Gibbs turned to Ducky, "Thanks, Duck."

"Sometimes it pays to be nice, my dear lad. You know this reminds me of when I was in South Africa and had to barter with a tribal chief to get…." Ducky trailed off at Gibbs' hard stare. "…perhaps, another time."

The nurse arrived with the wheelchair just in time.

* * *

><p>McGee nervously watched the numbers light up as the elevator climbed up to the seventh floor – the intensive care unit. He was unsure what he would be walking into; Abby had left a voice message sobbing that DiNozzo had been shot and might not survive a few hours before. He'd been in the middle of updating the computers and had not answered the call. Part of him hadn't wanted to call her back. While Tony teased and played tricks on him in the few times he'd worked with Gibbs' team, he didn't want to face the fact that the suave agent might not live through the night. The realization that DiNozzo was shot at home and off-duty scared McGee – <em>how could something like that happen?<em>

The elevator dinged and opened at the appropriate floor, Tim McGee exited and followed the directions toward the waiting room. He braced himself as he opened the door. There was no going back.

Agent Caitlin Todd and Forensic Specialist Abby Sciuto were the only people in the quiet room. As McGee entered the room the two occupants tried to perk up a bit given the situation. Abby quickly got up and met him in the middle for a hug.

"Hey, Kate. Hey, Abs. I brought the stuff you asked for, plus some food. I didn't know if you guys ate dinner." He walked over to the coffee table and started unloading the contents of the sacks. Chinese food. Two cartons of egg rolls, General Tso's chicken, rice, sweet 'n sour pork, and crab Rangoon. He then took off his backpack and unzipped it , taking out a portable DVD player, a handful of movies, and travel Yahtzee.

"Travel Yahtzee, McGee?" Kate was in shock.

"Ah, yeah. Abby asked me to pick that up. I could only find it in the travel version," McGee nervously answered.

"Abby?" Kate asked.

"I need something to get my mind off thinking the worst. I thought if we could have some distractions, it might not be so bad. This waiting room is driving me crazy. I don't think Tony would mind. One time when Gibbs was in the hospital we played Twister," Abby said. Her face lit up as she mentioned Twister.

While Kate was initially appalled to be invited to a game of travel Yahtzee, she realized that Abby was right. Even in the most tense, serious circumstances Tony tried and often succeeded in lightening the mood. Perhaps a game was what they all needed.

"Where's Gibbs?" McGee glanced around the empty room.

"Um, he passed out when the nurse came to tell us about Tony after his surgery. Ducky's downstairs with him. They said he was in shock from what happened…." Abby spoke as quickly as she could. McGee could tell that she was still freaked out from the incident.

"Thanks for the food, Tim." Kate said sincerely. She was starving.

The trio settled in eating quietly.

* * *

><p>The conversation up to DiNozzo's ICU room was non-existent. The closer they got, the worse Gibbs felt.<p>

Ducky rolled up to Tony's room and stopped. "Jethro, you have to know that this incident is not your fault. There are things in this life that cannot be prevented. Anthony was at home on his evening off. In his neighborhood there is no reason for him to not to secure his firearm. Whoever broke in caught him off guard. You cannot go home with all of us to protect us from potential harm, that would be silly, Jethro, not to mention impossible. We can only pray that our boy can make it. There's no one better equipped to get him through this than you. Before you can reach out to him, you need to pull yourself up. This is not your fault."

Gibbs said nothing, but sharply nodded his emotions threatening to pour over. The two stayed in the hallway until Ducky felt his friend gain a little more control. He slowly wheeled Jethro into the room.

"Duck, give me a few minutes with him," Gibbs said.

As his friend left him to take in the silence alone, he looked into the dimly lit room. Gibbs was hit was the severity of the situation once again as his eyes fell upon his senior field agent lying in hospital bed.

_Shit._ Gibbs thought to himself. How was he going to fix this?

He slowed maneuvered the wheelchair up to Tony's bed. He took stock of everything. A sheet and light blanket covered him up to his midsection and at that point the thick padded bandages started wrapping Tony like a mummy all the way up is chest and around his shoulder. His skin was pale, gray-ish; the significant blood loss evident. Tony had numerous IVs attached to provide a cocktail to keep him comfortable. _Comfortable?_ Gibbs grimace bitterly at the thought.

In the two years Gibbs had known the ex-detective he'd never seen DiNozzo like this. None of his previous hospitalizations had been this serious. It was strange to see Tony so quiet and still. One of the most annoying traits of Tony's personality was that he was always moving in some form or fashion. If it wasn't his body, he was talking – constantly. Gibbs had sat by Tony's bedside many times, but it was different this time. Tony wouldn't be talking any time soon, if he ever did again.

Gibbs gripped the braked wheelchair as he slowly moved over to the chair placed close to hospital bed. Sitting alone with DiNozzo, Gibbs found himself once again in a rough place. He didn't know what to do. There was no way he could make Tony wake up or reverse time. Gibbs made things, fixed things, and did things. Forced inactivity coupled with helplessness put the retired marine back in a time he couldn't afford to go back to. _Shannon. Kelly._ Squeezing his eyes tightly shut the lead agent banished the images of his past and drew in a deep breath.

"Hey, DiNozzo," the silver-haired lead agent sat in the hard plastic chair next to his second. Reaching out to hold his left hand, he rubbed a calloused thumb across the back. Keeping his voice gentle and quite, "It's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay." _You have to be,_ was left unspoken.

The only answer Gibbs received was the whoosh of the ventilator.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Hot Shot. I am so sorry," he continued to rub Tony's hand as he gave an uncharacteristic apology. "This is my fault. Shoulda checked on you sooner." Inhaling sharply Gibbs fought to control his emotions, _his guilt_.

He couldn't live with himself if Tony died this way. _This._ This was his fault. Gibbs knew he didn't pull the trigger or steal Tony's stuff, but he wasn't where he needed to be. God, he was such a bastard. As if he was shot himself, Gibbs flinched as the truth dawned on him. While Tony had missed several of the team's calls to both of his numbers, he had tried to get help. Remembering the odd-shaped blood stains on the floor, the truth donned on him…Tony must have tried to flip over onto his stomach more than once. He was attempting to get to a phone. Tony wasn't at fault.

Squeezing his eyes tightly shut Gibbs had a sudden realization….despite all of the yelling he'd done at Tony for not answering, it was Gibbs who had been unreachable.


	6. Chapter 6

Unreachable

by Pandi19

Warnings: Medical stuff (non-graphic), angst, and a little suspense.  
>Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters or ideas are not mine.<p>

A/N: Thanks for all of the lovely reviews and PMs. You guys are wonderful. More twists and turns ahead for both Tony and Gibbs. There's some medical stuff (go figure LOL) in this chapter – I'm not a doctor, but I did do a little research. Any remaining mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

A/N2: And a small reminder. This is still **not** a death story!

**Chapter Six**

For the next hour and a half Gibbs said nothing, did nothing , and felt nothing. He stared at the ventilator chamber going up and down filling Tony's lungs with oxygen. A quiet knock brought him out of his unfocused stare and a nurse with a computer came in.

"Hi, I'm sorry to disturb you, my name's Sadie. Are you Special Agent Gibbs? Dr. Reynolds let us know you would be keeping Agent DiNozzo company for a bit," the nice nurse said.

Sadie was slender and tall with a sweet smile and soft brown curls. The lead agent watched as she read the monitors and made notes before setting her thin black tablet computer down. She then checked Tony's compression socks, temperature, and bandages. "He's a bit cold. I'll add another blanket. It's because of the blood loss he's experienced."

"Is he in pain?" Gibbs looked over at Tony's blank face hooked up to the ventilator and then at Sadie.

"He shouldn't be with the morphine. You seem to really know him….if you notice anything that suggests he's feeling pain let me know. We have him on a drip for now," she talked as she retucked the blankets around her patient. "Agent Gibbs, do you need anything? I can bring you a snack or a blanket. Anything? We want to make sure you're doing okay too."

"Nah, I'm okay," Gibbs responded.

* * *

><p>The next two days the team fell into a routine. Gibbs stayed with Tony during visiting hours with limited time away – only to receive treatment from Dr. Reynolds as promised. Ducky hovered between Tony's room and the waiting room where Kate and Abby had taken residence. McGee was the runner bringing food, beverages, entertainment, and supplies.<p>

On the outside the casual observer would think things were getting better for Team Gibbs. Sunday afternoon a very tired Dr. Reynolds released his very antsy patient firmly eliciting a promise from both Gibbs _and _Dr. Mallard that Gibbs would take it easy and not spend every day, all day at the hospital. Dr. Reynolds knew that the promise was most likely empty. Agent DiNozzo was not improving, his condition remained the same. The news itself was like an open wound, every update brushed along the sore allowing it to bleed. Each test provided the same discouraging information – no change.

The two men made their way up to Tony's private hospital room. As they passed the nurses' station, Sadie waved and walked out to them.

"Hey, Agent Gibbs. Dr. Mallard. We just got the call from Dr. Reynold's nurse, Maggie, looks like you got sprung!" She smiled brightly at Gibbs. "Tony's back in his room, his scans took about the same amount of time as your appointment with Dr. Reynolds. Great timing, huh?"

As Ducky started a lengthy conversation with Sadie about the Mayan civilizations use of their version of the sundial, Gibbs took the opportunity to see Tony alone. The past day or so Ducky had been watching him like a hawk, leaving him little time to think alone or tell Tony anything private – not that Gibbs had much to say.

Tony was still hooked up to the many machines monitoring his vitals and sustaining his life. Late the night before Dr. Wiley had ordered for the nurses to insert a nasogastric feeding tube so that DiNozzo could receive nourishment since they were still sedating the gravely injured agent. Over the past three days Tony's appearance had changed, in addition to all of the tubes attached to various parts of his body – drainage bulbs for his gunshot wounds, ventilator, NG-tube, IVs, his complexion remained very pale and his face was now covered with facial hair, and there were dark circles under his closed eyes.

Gibbs slowly eased himself into his chair next to DiNozzo's bed and blew out a heavy sigh. Even though he had abided by Dr. Reynolds rules for the most part and recovered from his experience with shock, he was exhausted. DiNozzo.

"Hey, DiNozzo. I'm back," he said as he scrubbed his face with an open palm. Every time he looked at Tony he was struck with the same feeling – hopelessness.

He'd only been gone about an hour and a half, but Tony looked different. Sweaty. Paler than before. Gibbs frowned as he took his Senior Field Agent's hand in his own. Clammy. This wasn't good. Not wanting to leave the injured man's side, he pressed the call button on the side of Tony's bed.

Sadie cheerfully entered the room followed by Ducky.

"Gibbs? What's up?" Sadie smiled.

Ducky looked at his friend's face and knew immediately something was wrong. Stepping further into the room the old medical examiner went straight to the monitor that was posting DiNozzo's vitals and took visual stock of the agent. Not good. Sadie pushed passed him and assessed her patient then ran out into the hall.

"Page Dr. Wiley! Patient Emergency in room 685!" Sadie uncharacteristically yelled down the quiet hallway to the nurses' station. Rushing back into the room she began taking DiNozzo's blood pressure. "55/35. His blood pressure is way too low. He must be bleeding internally. He's in shock."

Gibbs stood silently against the wall as Dr. Wiley rushed in and began working on Tony with Sadie and Ducky assisting.

"Let's get him an ultrasound. I need to find out where the bleed is." Dr. Wiley swung the stethoscope around his neck as he spoke to the young nurse. As Sadie hurried to comply, the doctor turned to Gibbs. "He's most likely bleeding internally. I'm going to perform ultrasound to see exactly what we're getting into then will get him right into surgery. I want to know as much as I can before we open him up. His condition is very critical."

Gibbs nodded, "What caused the bleed? He hasn't done anything. He's in a medically induced coma."

"A tear could have occurred when he was moved during his tests. It happens sometimes. With your consent we'll do the ultrasound to see what we're dealing with and treat Tony to the best of our ability."

Gibbs scrubbed his face and took in a deep breath, "Yeah, I'll sign."

Ducky stood next to Gibbs ready to explain any part of the procedure if need be. He wasn't surprised when the retired marine was silent.

* * *

><p>Gibbs' team once again found themselves in the waiting room of the surgical floor. The antiseptic smell seeped into the room reminding them why they were there. <em>Tony.<em> He couldn't seem to catch a break. For every positive improvement there were two steps back. With the internal bleeding DiNozzo's survival percentage dipped once again. While no one wanted to believe that the impossibly difficult agent had little chance of a recovery, they were starting to lose hope.

"Gibbs? You think Tony'll make it, right," Abby questioned the one person she knew couldn't lie to her. Her green eyes were filled with unshed tears.

"Hope so, Abs," Gibbs softly replied. It wasn't the answer he wanted to give her, but it was all he had. The past few days had worn him down and he wasn't sure there was a way out. Tony didn't look good. He wasn't ready to give up on him, but the lead agent wasn't sure Tony could beat the odds in his losing hand.

"G-gibbs?" The forensic scientist stumbled on his name as her chin wobbled and she struggled to keep it together.

Unable to voice his own fears, Gibbs stood up and grunted out, "Going for coffee. Be back in five."

* * *

><p>Gibbs paid the cafeteria cashier for the questionable brew and went to a small table away from the other groups of people who were eating lunch in the hospital cafeteria. He watched them laugh, smile, enjoy their meal and fellowship. Today was a better day for them. As Gibbs stared into the styrofoam coffee cup anger welled up inside of him. Flipping his cellphone open, he punched some buttons and held the phone up to his ear, "Gibbs for Director."<p>

"Jethro, I was just about to call you," NCIS Director Tom Morrow came on the line after two minutes on hold – just as Gibbs was about to hang up.

"Sir?" Gibbs answered and questioned at the same time.

"Metro police called five minutes ago. They have three men in custody for the break-ins in Agent DiNozzo's area. Detectives are questioning them now," Morrow said.

"I want to talk to them," Gibbs snarled.

"Agent Gibbs, I don't think that is the best idea. Even though this is one of our own this is a Metro case. We're lucky the FBI hasn't butted in on them since they attempted to murder a federal agent. I don't need you to help facilitate that." The director tried to reason with the best agent he had. He knew Gibbs operated on a strong sense of justice and loyalty, but the way he showed it – through explosive anger, was not what the agency needed.

At the mention of the FBI, Gibbs backed off slightly, "Director, I'd like to see a copy of the report or interrogation tapes if possible. DiNozzo needs to know why and so do I."

"I'll do what I can. How is Agent DiNozzo?" Morrow inquired.

"He's in emergency surgery for internal bleeding," Gibbs replied softly his anger deflating into defeat.

"If anyone can pull through, it's Agent DiNozzo, Jethro. He's extremely good at beating the odds if everything in his file is correct. You just stay at the hospital and get your agent through this. I'll take you off rotation this coming week. Have Agent Todd report in after the holiday on Monday and she'll be on cold cases down in archives. Use all that vacation time you've been banking." Morrow hoped he had instilled some encouragement in his agent.

"Thank you, sir," Gibbs said before closing the phone. He didn't necessarily want to use vacation time, but he wasn't going to abandon Tony. The younger agent had been on his own too much in his lifetime. If Tony didn't survive, the last thing Gibbs wanted was for his friend to die alone.

Taking a swig of his now chilled sludge that passed as coffee, the lead agent got up and made his way back to the elevators to wait for word from DiNozzo's doctors.


	7. Chapter 7

Unreachable

by Pandi19

Warning: Angst, dark subject matter. This really isn't a happy chapter. Also, slight OOC Gibbs (Sorry…I did my best to avoid it, but some may find his actions OOC).  
>Disclaimer: I own nothing NCIS related. Except DVDs and soundtracks.<p>

Reminders: **No** character deaths. I promise! Keep on reading, this is going somewhere!

A/N: Thank you for all of your support! (Additional A/N at the end of the chapter.) Happy reading!

**Chapter 7**

Time trickled and minutes bled into hours – three hours and thirty-five minutes to be exact. While no news was good news, the time spent in surgery was worrisome. No one voiced their fears, but they were all were thinking the same thing.

Ducky felt someone watching him and looked up to find Gibbs looking at him, almost staring right through him. Without a word of communication between them the ME knew exactly what his friend was asking.

"It's taking longer than I anticipated too, Jethro. It could be a multitude of things," he paused slightly to swallow. "Internal bleeding can be difficult to stop. With Anthony's condition prior to surgery, I have no doubt they had to give him another transfusion," Dr. Mallard stopped there not wanting to mention the long list of complications and strike anymore fear into his friend. While Gibbs didn't show his fear outwardly, Ducky saw it in his sad blue eyes.

"Too long without info, Duck," Gibbs spoke quietly so that his team couldn't hear.

Ducky slowly nodded. It had been too long. Deciding quickly that action was needed the older man rose to his feet. "I believe I need a cup of earl grey. Jethro, coffee? Anything else?" Gibbs understood immediately what his colleague and friend was doing. The others – Kate, Abby, and Tim, just shook their heads and went back to their quiet conversation.

The medical examiner slipped from the room in search of a strong cup of tea and answers, hoping he at least found the latter.

Kate hid her suspicion well as she watched Ducky leave out of the corner of her eye. She'd looked at her watch several times the past hour knowing each minute that Tony was still in surgery wasn't necessarily a good thing. She could tell that both Abby and McGee most likely had the same empty feeling at the pit of their stomachs – the kind of feeling that did not come from vending machine snacks or this morning's cold Chinese for breakfast. Something was wrong, but no one voiced it.

Quickly remembering she had a conversation to participate in Kate nodded and said "yeah" to something she didn't hear.

"Nobody broke into our house with Bubba there. He would have torn them to shreds!" Abby's hands made a ripping gesture across her body as she dramatically whispered about her childhood.

McGee gulped.

"When I was growing up there were a string of burglaries on my street. Turns out it was my sister, Rachael's boyfriend and some of his friends. We didn't notice it at the time, but he was giving her gifts from the houses he looted," Kate softly reminisced. "They didn't date after that."

"What a jerk!" Abby exclaimed a little louder than she intended drawing several glares from the two groups of people awaiting word on their loved ones and Gibbs. She immediately caught the lead agent's surprised, hard stare and looked away. "What guy does that?" She quietly questioned.

"A criminal?" McGee rejoined the conversation drawing glares from both ladies.

"I just don't know how it happened to Tony. He's so tough," Abby said.

"There no way to know exactly what happened without asking Tony or the guys who did this. From what I saw in the apartment when we found DiNozzo, I think they must have surprised him. He ordered a pizza. Maybe he was watching a movie. No gun was visible. He doesn't have any bruises from defending himself. It must have been a shock," Kate wracked her brain trying to justify what happened for herself – for Abby and McGee and found that she had little answers.

The conversation slowly died down to an uncomfortable silence.

* * *

><p>"Jethro?" Ducky's face was solemn as he called out to Gibbs.<p>

Once Gibbs had exited the waiting room, he took in the older man's body language. Defeated. Sad. Hopeless.

"Tony," Gibbs choked out.

"He's been out of surgery about forty minutes. There were complications…." he trailed off as Dr. Wiley appeared beside them with the same surgical nurse from two days prior.

"Agent Gibbs, I am terribly sorry that we didn't provide an update. Agent DiNozzo has been out of surgery for awhile now," the doctor flicked his wrist and checked the time. "…Around forty-three minutes. We were able to stop the bleeding and repair the damage as best as we could. The tear was substantial, so we resutured and gave Tony two units of blood to replace what he lost."

"But?" Gibbs said.

"There were complications. We lost him twice on the table. Almost a third time. Between the shock and the blood loss, he was quite difficult to stabilize. Once he was settled in recovery, we had to restabilize again. Honestly, I'm not sure how Agent DiNozzo is still alive. The next thirty-six hours are critical – actually the next eight to twelve will be telling. If Tony can survive, I'll feel more comfortable reevaluating his chances of survival. I'm sorry the news isn't more promising. Agent Gibbs, I won't lie to you there maybe be other options you need to start considering. I can get in touch with the hospice ward if you decide that would be in Tony's best interest." Dr. Wiley tried to convey his sympathy the best he could. It was never easy to give bad news, but a necessary part of his job. Leaving a copy of Tony's file with Ducky and shaking Gibbs hand, the two medical professional conveyed all of the sympathy and support they could before heading back to check patients.

As if the day couldn't get any worse, the suggestion of hospice completely devastated the two men all over again. Their hearts were broken for the sharp, movie-quoting Senior Field Agent.

Medically speaking Dr. Mallard knew that it was foolish to expect superhuman results from Tony….after all, he was only human. But still Ducky could do nothing but hope for the injured man to pull through. He'd only know him for a little over two years, but it seemed as though DiNozzo always had beaten the odds – he always prevailed when there was no chance of success. The only thing that stopped Ducky from being almost certain of Tony's recovery was the medical file now in his hand. Two gunshot wounds. Extensive bleeding. Glascow Coma Scale score 7. Two transfusions. Complete ventilator assistance. A person did not just bounce back from a trauma this severe. Perhaps God and the love and support of a team…an entire agency could bring Tony back from all of this.

Gibbs always expected to lose an agent out in the field with bullets flying much like how he lost his "brothers" during the Gulf War. Not like this. Tony was off-duty, unarmed, and in the _safety_ of his own home. It pissed him off. How in the hell had something like this happened? Gibbs felt the anger well up and he slammed his fist back against the wall he was leaning against while Ducky looked at Tony's chart. The doctor jumped slightly at the noise lifting his sad eyes to meet the fury in Gibbs' eyes. As quickly as the fury came, it left only being replaced by the now familiar hopelessness. Could Tony get out of this one? Looking into Ducky's eyes, Gibbs wasn't so sure.

"I'll give everyone a sit rep." Gibbs' voice was gruff with unspoken emotion. "They should know.

Dr. Mallard nodded slightly, but remained in the hallway silently thinking of how best to attend to the situation both to his colleagues and Tony. At the sound of harsh gasping sobs from Abby, he knew he was needed immediately whether he had a plan or not. They were all his patients as much as Tony was.

* * *

><p>Timothy McGee had never experienced a coworker being injured much less dying. The only person he had ever been close to who had died was his maternal grandmother when he was thirteen. it was a very different situation – massive stroke. She hung on for two days before succumbing. McGee shuddered as he thought of the life cut short in Tony's situation. Just last month he had pulled out his old football moves to break into a suspect's shack and now he was dying?<p>

At Abby's near wailing sobs, Tim came back to awareness, back to the present, back to the Pine-Sol fresh waiting room. This was really happening. He put a gentle hand on the black-haired scientist's shaking back.

"W-what should we do?" He asked.

Four sets of tear filled eyes looked up completely taken back. What should they do?

"Do what we've been doing. Sit with him. Talk to him. Let him know he's not alone. We're still a team. If there's anyone determined enough to beat the odds, it's Tony." Gibbs easily slipped back into the role of leader. Although he had lost hope, he couldn't allow his team to do the same. Tony couldn't afford it.

"C-can I go see him f-f-first, Gibbs. I need…I need to see h-him. P-please." Abby managed to ask while fighting near hyperventilating sobs. "Please."

There was no way anyone could refuse her. Gibbs nodded and held his arm out to lead her down to DiNozzo's room.

Tony and Abby's special friendship could very well save their Senior Field Agent.

* * *

><p>Sadie sat quietly at nurse's station looking at the vital signs coming Tony's room every heartbeat and breath recorded on the monitor. Any change and she would have to interrupt Tony and his latest guest.<p>

Abby had pushed the uncomfortable chair as close as she could to her best friend's side. If he hadn't been hooked up to a myriad of machines and gravely injured, she would have climbed into the narrow hospital bed. Just to let him know, he wasn't alone – she was there and everything was going to be okay. He _had_ to know that.

She gentlely brushed her soft hand against Tony's stubbly cheek and softly spoke, "Hey, Mister. Abby's here. I'm here."

The ventilator whistled in response.

"Hey, McGee collected your mail at work and brought the June issue of GSM. I think it has a couple good articles." In a rare moment, Abby felt herself blushing as she flipped through the risqué magazine. "It has a firefighter spread that's, well, hot." She turned a couple more pages before setting the magazine down.

The heart monitor kept its pace.

"Tony. Remember what we talked about after the Mosbacher case? You're not like that kid. You aren't completely alone. There's Ducky, Gibbs, Kate, and me. Oh and McGee. Even though he hasn't said anything, he came to see you. I know your dad left you by yourself a lot when you were growing up, but we're here now. We're family and we're not going to let you go, so you better not, T."

Abby felt the hot tears once again fill her eyes as the weight of everything came crashing down. She just wanted Tony to wake up and tell her everything was going to be okay – that he was going to be okay.

The forensic scientist wiped her tears and bravely smiled as she saw Ducky in the doorway, "I'm going to let Ducky talk to you now. I think he has some stories for you. Gibbs'll be back before you know it."

The two hugged as a means of passing the baton.

* * *

><p>Gibbs walked the hallways trying to stay moving, however, he looked like a lion on the prowl waiting for the next unsuspecting stranger to be the next victim of his frustration, his anger, his desperation. The hospital patrons could clearly see how distraught the silver-haired man was, but kept their distance. Perhaps it wasn't their business.<p>

On his fifth time around on his self-made path, the lead agent realized something. It wasn't helping. He could pace all day, but it didn't help Tony nor did it help him to walk. He hadn't cleared his head; it seemed to be more cluttered than before. Determined to move on to another task, he returned to the lonely occupied waiting room. He eased his aching body into the chair closest to Kate and sat for a moment, but almost immediately stood up and began pacing again – the lack of movement driving him up and on his feet once more.

Ducky entered the room and found that the entire team was staring at their leader as well, each of them deeply concerned but unsure what they could do to help. After several minutes of pacing passed, Gibbs abruptly stopped midstride and ran both hands roughly through his hair.

Seeing the lack of movement as his opportunity, the medical examiner spoke, "Jethro."

"Ducky…All this waiting…" Gibbs said.

"Jethro, my dear friend, you need a break. You've been here for Anthony from the start of this nightmare. Why don't you take some time? Go home, shower, drink some decent coffee. I know you find it frustrating to be left waiting idly for news."

Gibbs paused slightly and thought about the offer. Then he nodded. "You'll call if…"

"I will call if something happens or if we hear from the doctor. Take some time, Jethro." Ducky reassured his friend.

Gibbs nodded once more. "I'll be back," he said. "Soon."

* * *

><p>As Gibbs steered out of the hospital parking turning left instead of going to the right toward his familiar Craftsman home. It was the same direction he'd come from by ambulance three days prior. He wanted to go to Tony's apartment.<p>

The closer he got the worse he felt. Once he got into DiNozzo's building and began climbing the stairs up to the third floor, his gut had the same feeling it had nights before when he had found his friend lying in a large pool of crimson blood. Seeing that there was no crime scene tape sealing the door, he slid his well worn key easily into the slot and turned. The door creaked opened, having been repaired from the break in. Upon entering the near empty apartment, the overwhelming smell of bleach and other cleaning agents assaulted Gibbs' nose. Crime scene clean up had already been there. For once Metro made quick work of the physical case and had released the scene.

Looking around the bare living room Gibbs tried to set the scene, figure out what happened, find out what his agent was doing. He walked over to the bookcase that shelved so many of the beloved movies Tony often quoted during the most inappropriate times. It seemed like everything reminded him of a movie. Only a few movies out of the massive collection remained. The weary man's hand landed on the small discreet safe that typically housed his Senior Field Agent's firearm. Lifting it up slightly, Gibbs felt the extra weight. It was there. Puzzle pieces shifted into place. Why Tony hadn't be able to fight back. He'd seen Tony quickly stow his Sig away upon coming home many times. As he twisted the numbered dial, he cursed. Safety. He snorted slightly and backed away from the bookcase and walked over to the tidy breakfast bar.

Gibbs frowned deeply as he stared at the flashing answering machine light. Fourteen messages. He blew out a heavy sigh between pursed lips and punched the button.

_BEEP_

"Special Agent DiNozzo, this is Stacy from Dispatch, DC Metro has arrested Petty Officer Gregory Suarez and will be bringing him into the Navy Yard. The case is back to active status. We also have a call into Agent Gibbs."

_BEEP_

"Rule Number Three mean anything to you, Special Agent DiNozzo?"

The next three messages were a series of hang ups. The clicking dial tones hit Gibbs like a slap in the face. Why had he not checked on Tony the first time he did not answer?

_BEEP_

"Tony, it's Balboa. You home, man? Just wanted to give you a heads up….Gibbs is pissed you haven't shown up yet. See ya soon."

_BEEP_

"Tony, Gibbs & I are heading out to interview Mrs. Suarez again. 4822 Northwest Cherry Lane. Meet us there. Gibbs is living up to the second 'B.' You might want to check in. Okay? Bye."

_BEEP_

"Thirty-five minutes, DiNozzo. Do I need another Senior Field Agent?" Click.

Unable to listen to the remaining messages, Gibbs pressed the round button labeled 'STOP' and sank down the wall until he was seated on the plush carpet.

He had failed Tony – as a boss and as a friend.

He rested his elbows on his creaky knees and ran a rough hand up and down his face. Gibbs took a deep shaky breath and exhaled slowly.

The former marine sat there for a long time. The afternoon sun had started to sink below the horizon and he was left in a dimly lit empty apartment that mirrored the vacancy in his soul.

It was simple, he had failed.

Tony was going to die and there was nothing he could do. Death was an enemy he could never defeat. It was always prevail in the end.

He couldn't blame Tony. DiNozzo was fighting as hard as his weakened body could, but maybe it was not enough – it would never be enough. Should his agent want to live through this? Gibbs knew the truth of it – the scars of Tony's childhood has set the man up for a lifetime of feelings of unworthiness and loneliness. Though he rarely showed it whether DiNozzo knew he did at all, Gibbs knew he had been made to think that he was unwanted and unlovable. Why would Tony want to live if he felt that way?

Perhaps it didn't matter that Tony had a family now. It didn't matter that Gibbs loved Tony as the son he never had. Nor did it matter that Abby had found the best friend that felt more like a brother – someone who loved the unique scientist as no one else could. It didn't matter that Ducky saw himself as the surrogate grandfather for the young fellow. Or that Kate didn't really mind the little squabbles because she already felt like part of the family after a couple months on the team. It didn't matter that McGee wanted to be a better agent because of what the annoying agent had shown him in the field. Why did it matter when Tony didn't see it?

The hopeless thoughts came like buckets of cold water slamming into Gibbs. More and more until he couldn't breathe. Until he'd had enough. Finally the agent pounded his closed fist into the carpet.

And there it was….

_RING._ Gibbs cell phone trilled and the display read "Dr. Mallard." _Ducky. Oh God, _Gibbs thought,_ this could be the moment they all had been dreading._

"Gibbs." All the trace of his anguish vanished.

"Jethro, our young man has turned a corner. He's vitals are up and he's a bit more responsive to stimuli. There's even signs Anthony is trying to breathe a little on his own against the ventilator. Jethro, all hope is not lost. Anthony's starting to rally again." Ducky's voice was full of hope.

Gibbs didn't know what to say – how to respond.

"Jethro?" the medical examiner asked.

"Yeah, I'm on my way," came the reply as Gibbs pulled himself up and made his way to the apartment door.

As he reached his car, the stern boss allowed himself as small smile.

Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo had revealed his cards.

* * *

><p>AN 2: Thank you all for the reviews, alerts, and PMs. It makes my day brighter every time my email chimes with new messages. Thanks for everyone who messaged me to check up on me, I tried to reply to every message, but may have missed one or two – regardless I really appreciate it.

I wanted to let all of you know that the next chapter might take me a little while to be ready to post. In the past few months or so, my family has been going through a couple serious situations that require me to be away from my home (and computer). These situations do not lend themselves to be ones that I can have free time away loved ones, so finding any time to write has been extremely difficult. I am not abandoning Unreachable - there are still many things that need to occur before the end & besides I really think Tony and Gibbs should talk, don't you? As soon as I can I would love to be able get the next bits up, but please be a little patient with me. Writers have lives off the internet & mine is kicking my butt right now.

Hope you all have enjoyed the ride so far & will stick with me to see it through! Please let me know what you think! And once again…thank you so much for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Unreachable

by Pandi19

Warning: Angst, some sad stuff, suspense, and well…a cliffhanger, but you probably anticipated that. *grin*  
>Disclaimer: My birthday came &amp; went and TPTB still didn't give me NCIS, so anything recognizable &amp; NCIS related isn't mine.<p>

A/N: I'm back! I can't thank you all enough for reviews and PMs. These past few months have been rough. Thank you for your patience, I know that it's been quite some time since I've been able to post. Hope you enjoy this next installment!

**Chapter 8**

"Yes, I do believe that was on my second holiday in Sri Lanka…" the Scottish medical examiner spoke at a conversational pace while flipping sightlessly though the latest issue of National Geographic. "Indeed, the old chap I was with dropped all of his luggage in the river as we departed the ferry. Quite the misfortune."

Much like his usual company, Tony said nothing. The machines spoke instead. Beeping. Whirling. Whooshing. All keeping time in the symphonic piece of a lifetime – Tony's. The older man could see the slight positive changes in his friend's condition. His pallor was still pale in comparison to what his golden tanned skin could be, but it was no longer the waxy grey tone it had been. The field agent's pulse and respirations had increased although he was still on the ventilator, he was starting to work with the machine rather than let it call all of the shots. Ducky was pleased in how Tony had started to rally, but feared it may have happened too late. _A long road, indeed._ Dr. Mallard shook his head and closed his eyes listening to the band of machines play on.

The door swung open creaking slightly and sending a whoosh of cold hospital air into the room. The older man looked up to see Gibbs back. He entered silently, saying everything with his facial expressions – worry, hope, devastation, faith.

"Any change, Duck," he murmured.

Ducky smiled a pleasantly and patted Tony's still arm. "He's rallying, Jethro. He's not going to be able to entertain one of his lady friends tonight or for quite some time, I'm afraid, but watch closely, he's been taking small breaths around the ventilator the last twenty minutes."

The lead agent took up his spot next to Tony's bedside and watched his agent, his friend's chest rise with the ventilator and then again on his own. It was a quick, shallow breath, but it was his own breath. Jethro broke out into an uncharacteristic big grin, one worthy of DiNozzo. The moment was overwhelming. His eyes filled with unshed tears. Tears of many things – joy, anticipation, pain. Taking his own deep breath Gibbs ground himself and took Tony's hand. Although Tony had started to pull for himself, he still needed to be strong for him.

"You hang in there, Hot Shot," his voice calm and soft as his once again rubbed Tony's hand. "Doing good work. You're gonna be just fine, Tony." He stopped talking and continued to glide his thumb over the back of the injured man's hand. "We got the guys, so don't worry about that. You just need to keep fighting."

Ducky sat quietly watching the two men. DiNozzo, a man of many words, so silent and still – the sight still gave him chills. And Gibbs, a man of hardly any words at all, filling the silence with his own dialogue—had the situation been different Ducky might have commended him on the action. In that moment he knew Gibbs had instilled the will to fight in his agent whether Tony heard it or not. Ducky doubted even Tony's subconscious could defy Gibbs.

The ventilator clicked on and whooshed another calculated breath into DiNozzo's lungs and gradually released it. Tony followed with a hesitant small quick breath of his own. Gibbs found himself following the exchange of breaths – even anticipating the next one. Suddenly the pattern changed. For every one ventilator breath there were two quick DiNozzo breaths – still shallow, but distinct. Standing, Gibbs readjusted his grip on the man's hand giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Tony?"

Ducky stood and watched DiNozzo.

Almost undetectably Tony's fingers twitched in Gibbs' hand.

Looking down at their connected hands, Gibbs repeated. The pale hand gripped a bit more. "That's a good job, Tony."

Dr. Mallard and Gibbs made eye contact and smiled.

"I believe I will share our latest development with Sadie, so she can page Dr. Sadowski." The smile was evident in Ducky's voice and he walked out of the hospital room.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later Tony was still being checked out by both Dr. Sadowski and .<p>

The quiet waiting room was no longer quiet.

* * *

><p>Even in Tony's medicated sleep his brow furrowed deeply and his lips frowned around the ventilator tube. His mind played through everything – all the tragic moments – all of the moments he had to go it alone. This time there was no one there.<p>

_Flashback:_

_He awoke in the stark white hospital room. Alone. The white board read. Today is Monday, February 20, 1998. Tony DiNozzo had lost two days._

_The myriad of stitches pulled on his side as he shifted unsteadily in the narrow bed. Perhaps it was a good thing that the rails were positioned in the upward position as he swayed slightly feeling light-headed. _

"_Mr. DiNozzo?" A plump nurse entered the room and brought the detective's thoughts to the present._

"_Yes," he answered weakly. _

"_Dr. Mason will most likely discharge you in a couple days if everything goes okay, is there someone we could call to pick you up?" _

_Tony didn't hesitate in answering. The truth was bound to come out. He shook his head and gave her a tight, sad smile. "No."_

_End flashback_

His weak breaths puffed around the tube – unsteady and irregular. The ventilator picked up the slack and maintained a steady pace.

An unseen tear trickled down Tony's pale, stubbly cheek.

_Flashback:_

_Lydia, Tony's governess, undid the little boy's tie again._

"_Why are you tying it again, Liddy?" The confused green eyes searched her face for an answer._

"_Oh, Tony." Her heart threatened to break into a million pieces. "We have to look our best today. Mummy would want that."_

"_Father said Mummy's dead." The vivid emerald irises filled with fresh tears. "Is that…is that my fault?" The tears evacuated the ducts and made lonely tracks down the eight-year-old-boy's face. _

"_Darling, no, nononono, my dear boy." Her gentle voice was firm with conviction. "Why do you say that?" _

_Lydia tried to keep on task, to prepare her young charge for what would be quite possibly the worst day of his life, but her own tears risked falling. She wanted to gather Tony into her arms and let him weep. _

_Pulling the tie into a perfect know, the young woman looked deep into Tony's eyes. He'd never answered her question._

"_Sometimes we say things that we don't mean. You know to make things feel better for us and it hurts other people. It doesn't make it right, Sweetheart. Whatever you father told you wasn't right. Your mother was in an accident. And sometimes," she paused, "Sometimes accidents happen."_

_The boy was crying in earnest now. Sobs were nearly wracking his small body. Lydia glanced at the large clock in the French inspired bedroom. It was almost time to leave. Not caring that the little boy had yet to put on his socks, shoes, or suit jacket, she pulled Tony into a big hug and simply held him as reality came flooding in._

_Tony DiNozzo, Junior was alone. _

_End Flashback_

The murky waters of unconsciousness kept Tony buoyed underneath the surface.

"He must be dreaming," Kate said as she looked at her partner's eyes rapidly move under their closed lids.

"Hmmm….," Gibbs glanced up from the short stack of files and focused on Tony's face. "Yeah."

The pair had been sitting with their injured teammate all morning. The tense silence settled between them. Neither willing to leave, but not willing to break the quietness that guilt had brought upon them.

Noticing the pained look on his agent's face, Gibbs laid his hand on Tony's uninjured shoulder, then pressed the call button.

"Agent Gibbs?" Sadie strolled into the room.

"When is he due for more pain meds?" He cut to the point.

"Well…," the spunky nurse reviewed the tablet. "He's due in about an hour.  
>Since we're no longer sedating Tony you'll be able to tell a little more if he's in pain than before, but I'll talk to the doctor to see if we can change him over to something that might make him more comfortable, okay?"<p>

The leader nodded slightly, then went back to dividing is attention between the files and his agents.

* * *

><p>Several hours later after Kate had gone into work and Abby had shared her theatrical version of the day's events with Tony, Gibbs remained.<p>

"Ensign Roberts report the Petty Officer was AWOL between 0300 and 0800. Duck says that Marx died around 0130. Somebody's lying, DiNozzo. Dontcha think?"

Gibbs sat, coffee-in-hand, reading the cold case of PFC Marx. The trail had run cold over a year and a half ago. It had been Tony's third case at NCIS – one that had eaten at him. Information simply wasn't there. It didn't matter how many hours the ex-detective researched and reviewed the evidence, there was no conclusion, no justice.

"Todd's reinterviewing Roberts and his CO. The USS Seahawk came into Norfolk last night. Fresh eyes might catch somethin' we missed," he continued.

Taking a swig of the lukewarm brew, he looked up at his quiet agent. The constant beep of the heart monitor answered his monologue.

Blowing out a heavy sigh, the Lead Agent set down the file, "Tony, you've always been there watching my six. And I've taken that for granted. Broke my own rule, but I've been doing that a lot lately." His head bowed and his fingers squeezed the Styrofoam cup between his hands. He _had_ to do this. "I wasn't watching your six, Hot Shot. You needed me to. This," Gibbs waved his hand toward Tony and took another deep breath. "This is my fault." At his confession he shut his eyes in shame. "We'll make it through this. I'm not letting you do it alone. I'm here."

Gibbs wasn't prepared for what he would face when his eyes reopened.

Tony was awake. Green eyes pinched as he choked on the tube down his throat.

"NURSE!"

* * *

><p>AN 2: Thanks for reading and sticking with me! Real Life is still crazy for me, but as soon as I can find some time to feed my muse and get everything all typed and pretty, I'll be back!


End file.
